Doug's Drunken Meatballs.. you say tomato and I say tomata..

Doug always puts a unique spin on things...one of the things I love about him..and of course his Swedish Meatballs are no different.. If he can add booze, he does..if it can be unconventional, it is...if it can be delicious, he made it!  So here is his recipe for Swedish Meatballs..not even CLOSE to Swedish Meatballs...but I would never tell him..that fragile male ego and all...and although they aren't Swedish, they are incredibly yummy!!

Swedish Meatballs (Doug's Drunken Meatballs..as I call them)

Doug's Sauce

2 tbsp onion
2 tbsp garlic
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
1 cup water
2 tbsp flour
1/3 cup rye
2 tbsp sweet vermouth

wait wait wait...what the hell kind of SWEDISH meatball sauce is THAT???  Must be that Canadian thing..like peameal bacon..

June's Meatballs (you can use your favorite recipe..but I will give a simple version I use.) (ppppssst he buys his at costco)


 2 lbs ground chuck
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine garlic powder, seasoning salt, pepper and bread crumbs with ground chuck. Mix well and make into meatballs. Cook in preheated oven 30-35 mins or until done.


My sauce is completely different, but then I call mine Sweet & Sour Meatballs.  Cause I always think of Swedish Meatballs being in a cream type sauce.  I told doug about this and he made his completely fake "oh that sounds different" face.  He refuses to believe this sauce is delicious..but it is!!  The reason I include it here is ..it's about as Swedish as Doug's is....

Now the sauce I use is as follows:

June's Sauce

1 jar of Heinz Chili Sauce (looks a lot like catchup)
1 Jar of grape jelly (about 10 oz)

Combine 1 bottle of chili sauce and grape jelly in a saucepan and heat until jelly has melted.

(my kids would eat these by the panful...they are good)

Here is a variation on a theme...

This recipe has gotten me out of innumerable kitchen emergencies, including unexpected guests, finicky guests, and kids on a hunger strike. It can be doubled, tripled, etc., freezes and reheats well, and can handle an almost infinite number of variations (some of which I will include below).

1 lb ground beef

garlic powder

onion powder

1 eggs

1/4 cup matzo meal

12 ounces chili sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

 

Mix together beef, garlic powder, onion powder, egg, and matzo meal.

Form into small balls and set aside.

Pour chili sauce into medium saucepan.

Refill bottle with water, shake well, and add to pot.

Add the brown sugar and lemon juice, and mix.

Bring sauce to a boil.

Taste and adjust amounts of lemon juice and brown sugar to taste.

Drop in meatballs.

Return to boil, cover, and simmer for at least 20 minutes (but you can leave it on for much longer if you forget).

 

VARIATION #1:For chili sauce, you can substitute either tomato sauce or tomato juice or diced canned tomatoes, and adjust the sweeteners and water accordingly. You just want it to be a saucy consistency, not too thick or thin. If you use plain tomato juice or sauce, you can add in some garlic powder or other seasoning. The sky is the limit. But, do NOT use spaghetti sauce!

 

VARIATION #2:For matzo meal you can substitute bread crumbs, oatmeal, a little flour, or any other binding agent.

 

VARIATION #3:For brown sugar you can substitute real maple syrup, sugar, honey, grape jelly, or any other real sweetener. (Do not use nutrisweet or any other artificial sweetener!).